Team Lead, HR and Talent Acquisition Operations

Rich’s, also known as Rich Products Corporation, is a family-owned food company dedicated to inspiring possibilities. From cakes and icings to pizza, appetizers and specialty toppings, our products are used in homes, restaurants and bakeries around the world. Beyond great food, our customers also gain insights to help them stay competitive, no matter their size. Our portfolio includes creative solutions geared at helping food industry professionals compete in foodservice, retail, in-store bakery, deli, and prepared foods, among others. Working in 100 locations globally, with annual sales exceeding $4 billion, Rich’s is a global leader with a focus on everything that family makes possible. Rich’s®—Infinite Possibilities. One Family.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

This role will lead a team of specialists focused on ensuring positive Moments that Matter across an associate’s journey within Rich’s. This includes everything from the new hire experience from offer acceptance to ending their career with Rich’s. This role is pivotal in ensuring effective leadership of a team of specialists that are closest to the associate population.

This role will work closely with the broader Associate Experience Network (AEN) team to assist in various human resources functions including escalation management for associate and/or Enterprise Service Organization (ESO) issues, management of the pre-employment and onboarding processes, partnership with plant leadership to ensure the efficient and effective engagement of temporary labor across our manufacturing sites and support of Rich’s AEN initiatives.

Finally, this role will serve as the primary point of contact for the ESO team supporting the work of the Talent Acquisition Operations (Ops) Specialists, to ensure optimal performance, address any challenges, and align on continual process improvements to be implemented.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/OUTCOMES

• Assist in associate lifecycle processes, including but not limited to, onboarding, offboarding, and employee relations.
• Support AEN initiatives related to performance management, training, and development programs.
• Assist in providing HR policies and procedures guidance to associates and leaders while ensuring adherence and legal alignment to specific state/country labor laws and regulations.
• Support AEN-related projects and contribute to continuous improvement efforts within the AEN department.
• Responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality HR services to support our associates and organizational objectives.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to a team of AEN Specialists, fostering their professional development and ensuring team cohesion.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the AEN Specialists, ensuring timely and effective delivery of AEN services and initiatives.
• Collaborate with other department heads and senior management to align AEN strategies with overall business goals and objectives.
• In partnership with both the Recruiting team (and in some cases the ESO), ensure the team is executing timely scheduling of candidate interviews, assisting with the booking of any candidate travel required. This includes assisting the ESO with any interview scheduling they are handling that needs escalation/support.
• Assist alongside team in setting strategic objectives under the direction of the Manufacturing Site People Pillar Owner.
• Supports all TPM Pillars, including the People Pillar
• Providing team oversite to ensuring headcount is correct for each department and aligned in AC
• Ensure the effective and efficient execution of the background check process on prospective associates, including collecting supporting documentation or analysing information to make informed hiring decisions.
• Manage escalations that may occur in the background check process that the team cannot manage themselves, which may include completing the adverse action checklist/process, consulting with legal and/or HRBPs as needed for rescinding offers or making conditional hires.
• Ensure new associate start dates are always confirmed with hiring manager and associate upon background check completion.
• In partnership with the ESO, oversee the team’s ongoing successful execution of the preboarding / onboarding process (which they achieve by initiating necessary paperwork via HRIS, ensuring timely completion, and addressing new associate and manager inquiries.
• Working with the ESO, ensure their team confirms all relevant information on our new associates is accurate in the HRIS prior to their first day.
• Ensure the I9 process is effectively executed for all new hires
• Stay updated on relevant employment laws and regulations, ensuring all background check and onboarding practices comply.
• Owns execution of MFI governance tasks such as ma